summerfitness

So many people come to me and say, “I am just not seeing any changes in my body and I don’t know what to do!” If you feel this... Here are 5 things I want you to focus on this summer! I bring up summer because many of you bring out the pause button over the summer. We are traveling and doing all the things, and I get that! I get the pause! You are facing the challenge of staying consistent.  And it is okay that your summer looks completely different than the other 9 months of the year! I have done multiple podcasts on how to focus on 90-day sprints and in my life I can take a look at those next 90 days out and have a good idea as to what is happening the month I am in, the next month, and the month after that. Let’s take a look at the next 90 days of our summer and talk about the little change we can do to stay in the grove this summer!  Facebook Page: Facebook Group: Website: Podcast:   5 Days To Consistency challenge - This 5-Day challenge will help you create a personalized plan and develop habits for long-term success in just 5 days.

What are your health, fitness, and self-care goals this summer? Do you have the right plan to keep you committed and consistent in these areas?

In this episode of The New Mid, I have Tanja Shaw speak with me on how to stay clear, committed, and consistent with your health and fitness goals this summer. Tanja Shaw is the host of the Fit + Vibrant You podcast and helps women over 50 take control over food, feel good, and live fully. She’s focused on helping women practice self-compassion, self-acceptance, and self-love by stopping their war with food.

She explains the importance of defining your health and self-care goals and success beforehand to stay consistent and avoid losing focus. Listen in to learn why you need to shift your mindset on your summer eating and exercising habits to stay committed and minimize self-sabotage.

As we approach mid-summer, do you feel like you're stuck in the in-between? Perhaps you have some fall or winter wellness, fitness, or athletic goals, but you want summer to feel less chaotic, less scheduled, and less goal oriented? Perhaps you've given up on the gym and noted that you'll sign up for a 30 day challenge to get back in shape after the school year starts.

Good news, you don't need to give up on your health, wellness, fitness, and athletic goals just because you crave an effortless and less hectic summer!

Here are my top 5 tips on how you can enjoy your summer and incorporate effortless fitness:

 

1--Give yourself permission to kick back and relax. Recognize that commitment to fitness goals often fades away in the summer unless you are in an organized sport league. Your body not only craves, but also needs relative recovery, and variety in activity and nutrition to stay balanced, healthy, and well. Embrace the variety that summer can offer instead of feeling like every second needs to be scheduled and goal-oriented. You may be surprised how well your body naturally aligns toward your goal-oriented efforts if you allow it a little freedom. However, this is not couch potato time; instead embrace a variety of activities, many of which can be unscheduled. This brings us to tip number two.

2--Go outside. Play. Walk. Enjoy. If you like the outdoors, this may be your best season to enjoy it. In an experiment with many fitness industry friends, we discovered that we were burning an average of 0.044 kcal/step walking! If we take 10,000 steps/day most days of the year, that would be just over 40 lbs. I must admit, I was in disbelief and we ran the calculation several times. The experiment proved a leading theory that daily steps do matter for those with weight management or physique goals, not to mention the metabolism booting, heart health, and stress management benefits too.

3--Hydrate. Keep it practical by carrying a water bottle or empty shaker bottle with you. Every time you get a chance to re-fill the water, do! As a general starting point, drink half your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weight 160 lbs, aim for 80 oz of water for starters. That would be ten 8-ounce glasses. If you are active, add a sip every 15 minutes, or a few sips every 30 minutes. If summer fun means enjoying alcohol, do so in moderation, as alcohol rarely aligns with sport performance or fitness goals.

4--Grab n' go snack basics. No need for cooking or fancy meal prep! If you plan to be outdoors, invest in good coolers & ice packs. I've been very pleased with Yeti for air travel and long days in the car, as well as 6 pack fitness for daily gym, work, and travel needs. Baby dishes with snap on lids are also perfect to hold all the grab n' go snacks for your whole family. What do I keep in them? Here are a few quick grab n' go ideas to help you get started:

• Starches: rice cakes, crackers, pretzels, mashed sweet potato, quinoa, baby rice cereal, rice
• Fruits: raisins, bananas, oranges, apples, grapes, melon cubes, pears
• Veggies: carrots, celery, mini peppers, and cherry tomatoes travel well
• Proteins: string cheese, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs, canned meats, lunch meats, sardines, leftovers, veggie burgers, Greek yogurt, beef or turkey jerky, protein powder
• Fats: nuts, chia seed

5--Workout motivation missing? No gym? No problem! Many health and wellness goals only need one 45 minute workout/week during the maintenance phase, and summer might be that time for you! Higher level fitness and physique goals can often be maintained in 2-3 45 minute workouts/week. You don't even need to go to the gym! Not sure where to begin? Start by picking an upper body, lower body, and core exercise. Rotate through them at reps to fatigue for three sets, then pick another three to rotate through. Here's an example: band rows, push ups, plank to fatigue. Looking for a total body do anywhere workout? Here's my most requested total body and core body weight workout (inspired by Pilates).

Looking for more workouts?

We are adding more Pilates, yoga, home workouts, and gym workout techniques every week. Subscribe to Dr. Meredith's YouTube channel to stay in the know on new releases.

Looking for more audio podcast-based fit tips & transformation inspirations to fuel your health, wellness, and fitness? We release 2 new episodes every month. Subscribe to the Healthy Lifestyle for Busy People Podcast on your favorite platform.

I hope you've enjoyed these tips for a summer of freedom and fun that can effortlessly support your fitness lifestyle. Feel free to leave thoughts, comments, and questions to continue the conversation!